Accredited Training for RIA Representatives

An ongoing requirement of the proposed RIA licence is the completion of insurance training for all sales representatives offering insurance on behalf of a restricted insurance agency. Prior to completing this training, sales representatives may not offer insurance products to consumers.

Those providing training will need to submit training materials to the Insurance Council for accreditation to ensure alignment with training standards for the licence.

The Insurance Council anticipates accepting submissions for accreditation in July 2026, ahead of RIA licence application in November 2026. This is to allow time for accredited training to be available to sales representatives prior to the effective date of the Restricted Insurance Agent Regulation on January 1, 2027.

About accreditation

Insurance training provided to sales representatives offering insurance on behalf of a restricted insurance agency must be accredited by the Insurance Council to ensure course content aligns with the required knowledge and skills outlined by the Performance Requirements for the RIA licence. The Insurance Council has established the RIA Accreditation Program to facilitate accreditation for RIA training.

Any provider of insurance training can submit training materials to be accredited. Typically, training on insurance products is provided by insurers but could include industry associations or the businesses themselves.

Accreditation has a duration of four years, after which training providers can reapply, ensuring that training for sales representatives remains current.
 

Understanding the RIA Performance Requirements

The Performance Requirements define the knowledge, technical abilities, and business skills that sales representatives for restricted insurance agencies must demonstrate to conduct incidental sales of insurance responsibly. This standard ensures that even though the licence is at the corporate level, individuals interacting with consumers maintain a baseline level of competence.

The Performance Requirements are broken down into three areas:

1. Knowledge of Insurance
   • Knowledge of basic insurance concepts and terminology
   • Insurance products and services
2. Technical Abilities
   • Product sales, processing and servicing
   • Legal and regulatory requirements affecting sales and processing
3. Business Skills
   • Professional conduct and ethics
   • Errors and omissions
   • Information management and record keeping

The Performance Requirements are key criteria against which the Insurance Council will assess training on insurance products and services when evaluating training materials for accreditation. The Performance Requirements are available to view below. 

view ria performance requirements

Accreditation fees

The Insurance Council anticipates changing fees for accreditation to support the cost of application review and evalution. Operational costs for the Insurance Council's licensing and regulatory activities are funded entirely by fees collected from industry, based on principle of cost-recovery and financial sustainability.

Accreditation program and process

Training providers seeking accreditation must submit their training materials to the Insurance Council for review. The evaluation process considers alignment with the performance requirements, accuracy and currency of information, instructional quality, and relevance to the regulated activities of restricted insurance agencies. Training that meets these criteria will be granted accreditation, authorizing their use in fulfilling education requirements for RIA licensure.

The accreditation process

 

1. Application submission: The training provider will complete and submit an application for accreditation including information about the provider and the course, and information on how the learning materials align with the performance framework.
2. Training provider and learner experience assessment: At this stage, two key aspects of how training will be delivered are considered: the training provider and the learner experience. This includes learner support, quality improvement and innovation, knowledge of performance requirements, training program management, resources and delivery.
3. Content assessment:  Here, training materials will be assessed against the RIA Licence Performance Requirements. Each performance requirement and indicator have content criteria that are expected to be present in the training material.
4. Accreditation decision: Applications that pass all required criteria will be recommended for approval, and the Insurance Council will provide confirmation of accreditation to the training provider. If accreditation is not confirmed, the reason for decision will be shared with the training provider and information regarding the appeal process will be provided.

Accredited training and preparing for RIA licence application

After the RIA licence program is finalized, we anticipate accepting applications for accreditation starting July 2026.  This will allow accredited training to become available ahead of January 1, 2027, in preparation for RIA licence application.



Training providers that intend to submit training materials for accreditation can start preparing by reviewing information in the RIA Accreditation Handbook and assessing their materials for alignment with the Performance Requirements for the RIA licence. Detailed guidance on application procedures and requirements wil be made available for the July 2026 program launch.

Businesses that intend to apply for an RIA licence should identify what insurance training the business currently has in place for sales representatives that offer insurance products to consumers on their behalf.  

• If insurance training is currently provided, identify if the provider will be seeking accreditation.
• If no insurance training is in place, consider how accredited training will be implemented to meet this ongoing licensing requirement.

Once the RIA Accreditation Program is launched, accredited training will be listed on the Insurance Council’s website as it is approved.

The Insurance Council acknowledges the January 1, 2027, effective date of the Restricted Insurance Agent Regulation may not allow for sufficient availability of accredited training for all classes of insurance prior to that time.

To address this, a short-term provision for RIA licensure will be available to businesses that meet all other criteria for RIA licence application. This will allow businesses to continue incidental sales of insurance uninterrupted while still ensuring sales representatives complete required training as it becomes available.

For more information and resources

More information about the RIA Accreditation Program can be found here:

• RIA Accreditation Program Guide (.pdf)

Have questions about the RIA Accreditation Program?
Email us at RIA-licence@insurancecouncilofbc.com